Dec. 12, 2008
Allard Beutel
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468
allard.beutel@nasa.gov
Katherine Trinidad
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
katherine.trinidad@nasa.gov
Rob Navias
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
rob.navias-1@nasa.gov
MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-257
NASA TV TO AIR INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION BRIEFING AND SPACEWALK
HOUSTON - NASA will hold a media briefing Dec. 18 to discuss an
upcoming International Space Station spacewalk. NASA Television will
provide live coverage of the Dec. 22 spacewalk of Expedition 18
Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov.
The briefing from NASA's Johnson Space Center will air live on NASA TV
Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. EST. Questions will be taken from journalists at
participating NASA locations, including Kennedy Space Center's News
Center. The briefers are:
- Kirk Shireman, International Space Station deputy program manager
- David Korth, Expedition 18 spacewalk flight director
During the spacewalk, Fincke and Lonchakov will deploy and retrieve
several Russian experiments on the station's exterior. They also will
install a device to measure electromagnetic forces imparted on
station hardware as the complex moves through low Earth orbit.
Russian specialists believe electromagnetic interference may have
contributed to past problems on the Soyuz spacecraft's pyrotechnic
bolts, which allow sections of the vehicle to separate properly
during its return to Earth.
NASA TV coverage of the spacewalk will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 22.
The spacewalk will start at approximately 7:15 p.m. and last six
hours. It will be the fifth spacewalk of Fincke's career and the
first for Lonchakov. Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Sandy Magnus will
monitor the spacewalk from inside the station.
For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
For more information about the space station and the Expedition 18
crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-